Minnesota Vikings offensive tackle Mike Remmers works out on the “mod sled” at the Minnesota Vikings annual training camp in Mankato, Thursday, July 27, 2017. It is the first day for workouts for the entire team. (Jean Pieri / Pioneer Press)

The Vikings’ biggest need entering next week’s NFL draft is on the offensive line, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they will address it in the first round.

The Vikings have the No. 30 pick in the April 26-28 draft. They need to replace retired starter Joe Berger at right guard, and it seems to be a good draft for guards. So they will snatch one up at the earliest opportunity, right?

Not necessarily.

“They’re in a really good spot considering how strong their roster is top to bottom,” ESPN draft analyst Todd McShay said in a conference call Wednesday. “Yes, guard is a need, but there are plenty of high-level starting guards in the NFL that have come from Day 2, Day 3 (of the draft) and undrafted free agency. So I think knowing (Vikings general manager Rick Spielman), he’s going to sit there and wait. He’s certainly not adverse to moving around (with a trade).”

One option for the Vikings is to move Mike Remmers from right tackle to right guard after he played the 2017 regular-season finale at that spot and then was the left guard for two playoff games. That would make their starting right tackle Rashod Hill or possibly a rookie.

This draft is not as deep at tackle, and top prospects at that position tend to be snatched up earlier than guards. So it might be less likely Minnesota lands a tackle in the first round.

If Minnesota is more set on a guard, the market might be good enough to get a good one in the second round. So the Vikings could work a trade with the No. 30 pick or take a player there at another position.

With Terence Newman an unsigned free agent and turning 40 in September and Mackensie Alexander playing inconsistently in his first two seasons, a cornerback could be a target. With free-agent Sheldon Richardson signed to a one-year deal and Tom Johnson and Shamar Stephen gone, a defensive tackle could be a possibility.

“Ideally, you’d love to get a guard with one of those early picks but I don’t think they have to,” draft analyst Dane Brugler said. “They could stay put and see how it falls to them, they could get out of the pick or they could move up if they see a player they really like. They’re not hamstrung by a certain position.”

The Vikings will address the offensive line at some point in the draft. They have eight picks in all, including No. 62 in the second round and No. 94 in the third.

The draft’s top guard, Notre Dame’s Quenton Nelson, will be long gone by the time the Vikings make their first pick at No. 30. The Vikings are hopeful Georgia’s Isaiah Wynn or Texas El-Paso’s Will Hernandez could fall to them, but that might be a long shot.

If both are gone, possible candidates could be Connor Williams, who played tackle at Texas but might be an NFL guard, Auburn’s Braden Smith and Nevada’s Austin Corbett. But all might be available in the second round. So should Frank Ragnow, a Chanhassen native who played mostly center at Arkansas but could be an NFL guard.

If the Vikings are strongly considering moving Remmers to guard and have more immediate interest in a tackle, Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey could be a candidate, but they might have to trade up from No. 30 to get him. Tackles who could be available late in the first round but more likely are second-rounders include Oregon’s Tyrell Crosby and Pittsburgh’s Brian O’Neill.

“Rick Spielman is not going to reach for a position if he doesn’t need to, if he doesn’t think the (draft) grade matches up,” McShay said.

McShay said dealing the No. 30 pick could be helped by another team wanting to select a quarterback late in the first round, rather than early in the second, to secure a fifth-year contract option.

If the Vikings draft a player other than an offensive lineman at No. 30, candidates could be Central Florida’s Mike Hughes and Iowa’s Josh Jackson at cornerback, and Alabama’s Da’Ron Payne and Florida’s Taven Bryan at defensive tackle.

“Sure, they could use more offensive line depth but they also could use more defensive line depth, and they could go corner,” Brugler said. “There’s so many different directions they could go.”

Spielman has a goal of getting 10 picks in each draft, so he figures to make several trades. Other areas the Vikings might address are at linebacker, running back, tight end and safety.

Despite having some talented young defensive ends, the Vikings might grab another. And they could pick up a receiver in a late round.

Chris joined the Pioneer Press in 2013 to cover the Vikings. He was a longtime NBA writer with the Akron Beacon Journal, Rocky Mountain News and AOL FanHouse. Before coming to Minnesota, he covered the Miami Heat and Dolphins for Fox Sports. Chris has won six awards in the past three Pro Football Writers of America contests. Chris is a graduate of Northwestern University, where he spent his college years watching the losingest team in the history of Division I-A football.

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